Chapter Three: Painful reunion

"I want you to stay." Her voice was shaky and watery with tears. "Can't you just stay?" Her hair was flowing around her face in curls that the sun had caused to frizz up but to him she was just beautiful.

The chocolate depths of her eyes were submerged in unshed tears, a curtain of water. She was trying to convey how much it hurt to be losing the one she counted on (however unreliable he may be) and how much it hurt that she wasn't enough to make him stay. Her lip trembled and the constriction in her throat tighten so that she couldn't breathe. The fire rose in her chest- her heart was on fire, burning alive and being crushed at the same time. It hurt. It hurt. Why couldn't he stay-just-just-stay?

He watched her and smiled at her sadly. "You know I can't." He watched as she turned from him. She rose from her place beside him. The sweat from their bodies glistening on her stomach. Her soft breasts heaved with her tears and he pulled her down again, listening to her cry. It tore his heart in to pieces.

Why didn't he care? Why wasn't he reassuring her? Where had the boy she fell in love with gone? He hadn't been him for a while and it was taking its toll on her. He had been loving, sure but he had been pulling from her, couldn't handle her wild emotions as he used too, didn't want to make love. She hated this. She hated him for a bit but she couldn't hold it against him. She loved him. She was spinning, grasping for something to hold onto, swirling in doubt, confused as to who he was. Didn't he love her? She was sick of this change.

He was cruel with his words now. He spoke to her less than kindly. Where was the love? Where was he?

Aloysius.

"…Rivers?" came Dr. Brennan's voice. It sounded foggy through the clouded memories swirling around her brain.

"Miss Rivers?" Closer now. Clearer. Why was it so dark?

"Miss Rivers?" Booth's voice swam across her eardrums concerned. "Can you hear us? If you can, open your eyes?"

My eyes? She tried to speak. They are open but it's so dark.

She complied though, willing her eyelids to rise. Her eyelids felt so heavy… they wouldn't budge. She tried again and again and again until finally her eyelids cracked. Blinding light steamed through and burned her eyes so she blinked slowly. Her eyes adjusted painfully slow but eventually her vision was clear. She could now see Dr. Brennan, Booth, Agent Greene, and another pretty brunette with kind eyes staring down at her.

"Hey, sweetie." The unfamiliar brunette spoke with a rush of air. "How are you feeling?"

"Fi-fine…" Ambrose sighed softly before fixing her gaze on Brennan. "I'm sorry."

"Have you consumed enough water in the past twenty-four hours?" Brennan questioned the intern, lying on her couch.

"Wha…" Ambrose began but Aloysius obscured her vision as he touched her cheek in concern.

"Don't touch me!" Ambrose hissed, jerking upright as she pushed his hand away. Her head swam and vision spun but she curled her lip angrily anyway. She knew she was being childish but this man was not allowed to touch her! She hated him. "I don't want to see you! I never have!"

Her vision was becoming black with blotches of white and her skin felt as if she had sunburn but she still growled, "Go away Aloysius! I hate you!"

Her world went black.

Booth gently laid the young woman down on the couch once again before turning to his fellow agent who was frowning with a sad puppy dog look in his eyes. His gut told him that her words had hit him hard and that he was hurting but he had to ask:

"What the hell did you do to her? How does she know you?"